A Gang War in My Heart
by Rubiredslippers
Summary: Beth Greene has just returned from college and instead of being greeted by her family she is kidnapped by a rival gang. After coming to terms with her fathers illegal occupation Beth must also fight her attraction to one of her captors and investigate why the two gangs hate each other. Is someone behind the scenes manipulating everyone? Major Bethyl and character cameos from all.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one- Beth

**Disclaimer: Sadly I do not own The Walking Dead or its characters.**

**Authors note: I am new to writing fan fictions so please review with praise or tips and be gentle. P.O.V. with swap between Beth and Daryl.**

_Home sweet home, _Beth thought to herself as she stepped off her bus from south Carolina.

As worried as she was about seeing her father after so many years it was a relief to be off the cramped bus. Stretching she looked around her, Maggie had said there would be a car waiting for her when she arrived at the station but as she looked around she saw nothing.

_Might as well get my caffeine fix while I'm waiting_, she smiled at the thought of a hot, frothy cappuccino. Spotting a Starbucks across the street, Beth pulled her suitcase along behind as she made her way towards it. immediately upon entering the cafe beth made her way to the queue of people.

"What can I get you today, Miss?" said the friendly looking barista at the counter.

" Can I have a small cappuccino, please " she replied.

" Coming right up, you can wait over there." said the woman pointing to far right.

Weary as she was. Beth dragged herself over to wait for her beverage. Now that she had a moment to think she was a little disappointed that her family wasn't waiting for her when she got off the bus, not that she was surprised, it and been years since she, Maggie, Shawn and her father had all been in the same room. sure Maggie and Beth had met up and kept in touch, but as for her father and older brother Beth hadn't seen them since the funeral.

"Order up!' said the barista, jolting Beth from her darkening thoughts, the woman had placed two cups on the counter and Beth figured one was hers.

Retrieving her drink, Beth headed to the exit taking a sip as she walked.

" Ugh!.. what is this?" she exclaimed as she swallowed a mouthful of black coffee. she held the cup up and spotted a name on the cup that wasn't hers.

"Who's Daryl?" she mused.

"That'd be me" said a gruff voice behind her.

Beth turned and came face to face with a man holding something that looked remarkably like her drink. Along with noticing that Beth also saw that he was quite..for lack of a better word…_hot_.

He had stormy blue eyes and dark brown hair that fell over them, he looked older than Beth maybe mid thirties but that didn't stop her from being attracted to him.

"Oh…well then this is yours" Beth spluttered as she handed him his drink.

"You must be Beth then?" he said as he handed her her cup.

"Yeah i must be"

That comment made him smile, which made her smile. He looked her in the eyes, for a moment they stood there in silence then his smile dropped suddenly.

"Well now that's sorted can I walk you out" he asked moving to the door.

"Yeah sure" Beth had to stop herself from smiling.

As they made their way out, Beth thought what strange fate had brought her to that cafe to met this strange handsome man.

"So you from round these parts?" Daryl asked while scanning the street as they crossed it.

"Yeah but I've been gone for a while I only just got back" she replied quickly.

"what brings you home?" it was a simple question but the way he said 'home' made her think.

"Well I… got…a…" she wanted to say job but Beth's mind was starting to feel foggy and her vision was blurry, she felt so strange she almost did not notice the black van that pulled up in front of them and her now limp body being pulled into its open door.

**Sorry cliffhanger :( Reviews? i would love some feedback. I might continue but it depends what people think.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two- Daryl

**Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or its characters.**

**Authors Note: I am so happy with the response this story has gotten! :) Keep up the reviews they motivate me!**

"That was fast." said Glenn to Daryl as they loaded the limp blonde into the van.

"Yeah" Daryl agreed as he slid the van door shut behind him.

The kid was right, it had been very easy for Daryl to grab the girls drink, drug it then give it to her and wait for her to pass out. Almost too easy. If this young girl was really Hershel Greene's daughter then why was she so easily manipulated? Surely the apple didn't fall far from the tree?

""Back to the club, Daryl?" asked T-dog from the drivers seat as he pulled into traffic.

" No. Boss won't risk it, we are going to the compound."

"What are they going to do with her?" Glenn asked. "I don't know and I don't care." Daryl half lied.

Why Rick wanted this girl Daryl didn't know but he knew Rick would not harm her. He had a young daughter himself so it seemed very unlikely he would hurt Beth. He must have some other reason. Daryl knew that it was Dale who had come up with this plot. Strange. Dale had once been friends with Hershel before the feud and even now after everything, still seemed hesitant to cause him any harm. In Daryl's mind their was no room for such sentimentality. Hershel was a cold blooded killer.

After what felt like forever T-dog finally pulled up in front of the large gate that separated the Atlanta group gang headquarters from the rest of the world.

"Morales! Come on man we've got a delivery." T-dog yelled loudly down the intercom by the gate.

"Alright…Jesus T-dog give a man a minute to wake up." grumbled back the tired Mexican and with that he opened the gates.

Upon arriving in the parking lot Daryl jumped out of the car and held his arms out as Glenn passed the tiny blonde still unconscious body to him.

"Come on Short Round. Boss is waiting" Daryl grunted the girl wasn't at all heavy but her sweet floral perfume had him feeling feverish.

"Mmm…" Beth murmured as he carried her through the entrance, T-dog and Glenn driving away. Their job was done and he knew they were headed to the club to forget today, Daryl wished he could go with them.

"Well look what you caught." said a husky voice that was making it's way towards him.

"Where does he want her, Michonne?" Daryl asked as he turned to see the tall,striking black woman. Michonne waved to the right.

"Put her in the study, we're waiting on Dale."

"Why? I know it was his idea but isn't Rick going to be the one talking to her?"

" No." Michonne said tiredly."He isn't doing so good. What with the anniversary of Lori's death."

"Oh…yeah that." Daryl said as he walked through the big double doors to the study. he gently laid down the sleeping girl on the couch. She looked so peaceful, her beautiful face was calm for now. Behind him Daryl heard the door open and someone enter. He turned to see Dale walking towards him, he met him half-way shutting the study door behind him.

"I see you succeeded, Daryl." Dale commented looking past him through the glass panel of the door to Beth.

"Looks like little Beth Greene has become a beautiful young woman." Dale was smiling like she had just stopped by of her own free will.

"Look Dale. I know Rick trusts you with his life but I was the one taking the risks. Me, T-dog and the kid. So tell what the hell is going on?"

Daryl didn't care about the risks for him and his men, they could handle themselves, it was the girl Daryl was worried for she seemed so innocent and vulnerable. His conversation with her had shaken him, this pretty young woman had trusted him. Despite his three day stubble and messy hair she had seen something in him that she had believed and he had taken advantage of that.

"Daryl I'm impressed by your bluntness so I'll be honest with you. I don't want anything from her except her help." Dale explained

"Help with what? She has been away from Atlanta for four years." Daryl had read a file Jacqui had put together, just to be prepared.

"Yes which is exactly why she's so valuable!" He explained pacing back and forth.

"Beth has no real knowledge of her fathers occupation and of the feud between him and Rick."

"So she is clueless? How?" Michonne inquired. So this was new to her also. Strange Rick usually confided in her.

"After her mothers death Hershel sought to have her removed from Atlanta. She was young and he was scared for her. He arranged for her to be accepted to a college in South Carolina. Far enough away to be safe but close enough to keep an eye on her." Dale smiled, and continued.

"She is completely unaware."

"So how does that help us?!" Daryl persisted.

"If somehow we can convince her to trust us before she is safely returned to her family."

"What will that achieve in the end?" Michonne was as stumped as Daryl.

"If she trusts us…she will help us end this feud once and for all." "That's your plan? To end the feud?" Daryl was furious. This had all been a waste of time. "Don't you understand? The feud will never end! Hershel killed two innocent women one of them _his own wife_! "

"What?" Said a quiet voice behind him. He had been too busy to hear the door behind him open and from the look on Dale and Michonne's faces told him who it was.

He had forgot to lock the door.

**A.N. Sorry if it's a bit short I am working on that. I will probably have another tomorrow :) Review please I read them all! **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Beth 

**Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or it's characters. **

**Authors Note: I hope you like this chapter :)**

"Who are you?" Beth said, her eyes darting from the old man to the striking woman and finally to Daryl, her abductor."Why did you bring me here?"He had turned to face her but did not answer her questions. He continued to stand there with his deep blue piercing stare. Finally, it was the old man that replied.

"Hello Beth. My name is Dale. Will you please come with me so we can talk?"

"Why should I trust you?" Beth asked trying not to look at Daryl who was still staring. She knew her question seemed silly, she had already been abducted so it was obvious she couldn't trust these people.

"Because if I wanted you hurt then Daryl here would have already done that. By bringing you here you must know that I wish you no harm."

He gestured to the room around them. Beth had to admit the room she was standing in was beautiful. Ornately decorated with gilded mirrors and expensive looking art, this room alone looked as if it was worth more than a small house. It hardly seemed the kind of place to hold a hostage.

"Just you and me?" She eyed Daryl, his gaze had not fallen but for the life of her Beth could not fathom what he was thinking. His face was blank, a mask hiding any emotions he was currently feeling.

"Yes and if you don't like what I have to say," he waved to the door "then you are free to leave."

"Alright…I suppose." she said exasperatedly, having no choice but to give in and hear Dale out.

"Fantastic. Follow me please." He walked to a door, stopping briefly with his hand on the handle to turn back and speak to her abductor.

"Daryl, I don't suppose you would stay for a while? You and I have much to talk about." At last Daryl tore his eyes from Beth, turning to Dale and spoke.

"S'pose I could do that, but while I'm waiting I don't think you'd mind if I grabbed a beer." And with that he strode out of the room with Michonne following. It was clear from the way they both acted that it was not Dale in charge, but someone else Beth had yet to meet. She was now wondering how many people were involved in this and it was making her all the more curious as to why they wanted her.

"Shall we?" inquired Dale as he opened the door to reveal a small room that contained a desk and two chairs on either side.

"I guess." Beth replied and went to sit down. If she thought she had been exhausted before this ordeal she had been wrong, fatigue was quickly claiming her body. The old man followed suit and sat behind the desk.

"Okay hmm… how shall we begin?" Dale mused.

"Starting with what Daryl said back there would be a good start." she answered sharply. The exhaustion apparently was now affecting her attitude as well.

"Ah yes your mother…the first thing you need to know is that you father is not who you think he is." Dale stated as if he were talking about the weather. It irked Beth to hear him comment so nonchalantly on such heavy topics.

"What do you mean?" Although Beth had not seen her father since her mother's funeral with her going off to college and then nursing school, she couldn't understand at all what Dale was talking about. Hershel Greene had always been an upstanding citizen. It had been one of the things her mother had teased him about, even going so far as to say he never got so much as a speeding ticket like it was a bad thing.

"He is what we call…an advisor. A close friend that helps share the burden of—" Dale stopped midway.

"Of what?" Beth was completely confused at this point. Instead of answering her questions, the old man had simply arisen more.

"Of ruling Atlanta." Dale stated then he continued "There are people who control big cities like this one. Men that know everything that comes in and out…New York, Miami, Seattle. You name a city and I can tell you who runs it and he isn't in the mayor's office."

"Like the Mob?" Beth's mind was swimming with images of men from films like The Godfather. She had always thought of those kinds of things as fiction more than anything. Dale chuckled.

"In a way I suppose but not nearly as violent, they mainly control the rate of violence and try to bring new revenues to their city." Beth nodded, still not feeling very reassured.

"Oh…okay. Who controls Atlanta?" Beth could hardly believe what she was hearing. She had heard tales of secret organizations being hidden in large cities but she had never thought Atlanta was one of them. This was her home and she had grown up here for heaven's sake!

"An extraordinary man named Rick Grimes has been in power for fifteen years and in that time he has cut violence in half and improved the lives of many." Dale said, he sounded like he truly believed every word he said.

"And my father advised this…Mr. Grimes?" She couldn't help but wonder what this 'ruler' of Atlanta would want with her father—a vet!

"Yes, you see before he went into a more ordinary profession Hershel Greene had been a man of many talents. His best asset was his knowledge of how this city operates. With you father's help Rick rose through the ranks very quickly and was soon the head of our organization." Dale paused to reach into his pocket. He pulled out an old photograph that he laid on the table for Beth to see.

Beth leaned in closer to look at it and was shocked. She was not prepared for what she had seen. It was a photograph of two men, one was young about her age with dark brown hair and a solemn look, the other man was in his fifties and had greying hair and deep blue eyes that were clear and bright. She had seen these eyes before and they were the reason she recognized the man so quickly, because despite what fifteen years had done to her father's face his eyes were still exactly the same.

"Oh my god." Beth gasped as she realized everything Dale was saying was true.

"Now that you have proof that I am telling the truth, I can explain the misfortunate events surrounding your mother's death."

Beth nodded, she was too shocked to talk. She felt like her head was spinning and actually felt dizzy from it.

"What you must know is that your mother had no idea what your father was doing. He seemed to think that it was the best way to keep her safe. But she knew he was friends with Rick as she was friends with Rick's wife Lori. Lori was equally unsuspecting of her husband's profession. They would often get coffee and talk about their children, unknowing to the secret lives their husband's lived." Dale said smiling at Beth. "Their friendship was steady…Rick and your father's was not. They would often disagree on decisions that had to be made and paths that had to be traveled but in the end they would always end up reconciling."

Dale paused and reached into a draw in the desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He offered one to Beth but she shook her head desperate for him to continue. She didn't think alcohol would help the sick feeling she now had in her stomach. He poured himself a large glass, took a sip and continued.

"About four years ago your father and Rick were having a disagreement and…well this is where accounts become different. As you know your mother died in a car crash," Beth nodded at hearing this, part of the reason why she was so confused "but what you don't know is that the brakes were tampered with.

"So… my mother was murdered?" Beth said with her eyebrows knitted together. She spoke so softly that Dale had to strain to hear her.

"Yes, I am afraid so." Dale's face was softened by sympathy as he reached forward to pat Beth's shaking hands. "But I do not believe your father was the one to kill her." Dale stated.

"Then why did Daryl—" Beth began but Dale cut her off.

"Daryl believes what Rick believes."

"Why would my father's friend believe that he killed his own wife?" Beth could not stop the tears rolling down her cheeks. What had made her mother death the slightest bit bearable was that it had been an accident, no one's fault and now she knew that wasn't the truth.

"Because his wife had died too." Dale explained. "So Beth you must understand that Rick was as distraught as your father, so when he discovered papers showing Hershel had paid an unknown man to cut the cars breaks—"

"What?!" Beth sat upright.

"Forged, I now believe. I think that someone wanted Rick to believe Hershel had planned for him to be in the car, not Lori or your mother."

"Couldn't my father explain?" Beth questioned. If they were such close friends then surely Rick would have heard him out.

"Rick feared for his own life and the lives of his children. He believed that if Hershel saw him again he would make another attempt to kill him so…he did something against my advice."

"What?" Beth asked, her mind was so full of new knowledge and she was struggling to keep up.

"He tried to have Hershel killed. Of course his attempt failed as your father is not an easy man to kill, but this caused a blood feud. A rivalry so bitter that all of Atlanta suffered. A once happy house was divided. Families pitted against each other. And no one has been able to reunite the two groups, the lies run too deep. I have put forward my theory to Rick and although he is skeptical, he is willing to allow to put my plan into motion but only if I can acquire one thing."

"And what is that?" Beth asked curiously.

"Well my dear…you." "Me?" Beth was certain that she had heard the old man had wrong. Why would he want her help? She couldn't fathom the thought of her being helpful in this situation. She was not at all capable of dealing with situations like this. When her mother had died she hadn't spoken for a week, barely ate, paralyzed by sadness. Why would Dale want help from someone like that?

"Why?" She whispered.

"I will answer the rest of your questions tomorrow. You are staying, aren't you? We have far too much to talk about and it is getting late." Dale's eyes darting to the clock. It was past midnight. He knew the girl must be completely drained by now.

"Stay? My sister will be freaking out. I should have arrived hours ago!" Beth exclaimed. She couldn't believe she had been so oblivious to her family. Surely they would wonder where she was!

"Oh don't worry about that, Jacqui accessed your e-mail account and sent your sister a message saying you were going to spend a few more days with your friends in South Carolina. She won't suspect a thing." Dale said smiling.

"Oh...thanks…I think." Beth wasn't sure what was more alarming, that this Jacqui had hacked her e-mail or that her sister believed it. Neither thought was comforting.

"So you'll stay?" Dale asked expectedly.

"Okay." Beth still had many questions but right now all she wanted was to lie down. "

Fantastic! Your suitcase is in your room, just one moment." he stood up and went to the door and was greeted by Michonne and Daryl.

"Michonne! There you are! Miss Greene has kindly accepted to stay the night, will you show her to her room?" "Of course." Michonne said with a smile that looked forced. Dale did not seem to notice.

"Thank you. Good night Beth. We shall continue tomorrow but now I must speak to Daryl." Beth followed Michonne to the door but as she exited Daryl entered and for a split second their hands touched. Beth pulled her hand away as if something had burned her and hurriedly followed Michonne up the stairs, not looking back even though she could feel his eyes on her.

**Authors note: Remember keep up the reviews they really motivate me.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four- Daryl

**Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or its characters.**

**Authors Note: I hope you like this chapter :)**

Daryl's eyes followed Beth as she walked behind Michonne up the stairs to what would now be her room.

He couldn't help but compare the two women. Michonne was tall and fierce with long braided black hair and sharp features, whereas Beth was small and dainty with her long blonde hair and big blue eyes he couldn't seem to look away from. How this delicate girl had managed to bewitch him, Daryl did not know. She certainly was not his type – he usually went for brunettes, but this young woman intrigued him. He could still smell her floral perfume as she had walked passed him. When their hands had touched it had felt like he had been shocked. _'No.'_ Daryl said to himself. _'Don't think about her. She's a Greene.'_ Daryl pushed the entrancing blonde from his mind and entered Dale's office.

"So what do you want, old man? Because I'd like to get home at some point." Daryl fell into the chair in front of the desk like he owned the place and watched Dale make his way back to his seat.

"Well Daryl, as you may have gathered we have gained Beth's trust." He said, plainly certain what he was saying was true.

"Are you sure? I don't trust you at all and I'm still here." Daryl said smirking. He did like to ruffle the old man's feathers a bit.

"Yes...but you trust Rick with your life. That's why you agreed to collect the girl without knowing why." Dale was right. Rick had helped him when no one else would, when everyone thought he was just like his brother, and because of that Daryl would do almost anything for him.

"I've done worse." Daryl muttered quietly, not exactly proud.

"I know." Dale stated. "But I have another job for you and this a bit more..long term." He stopped and looked straight at Daryl.

"What is it?" Daryl asked warily. Say what you want about Dale but he was usually straight forward and now he was not comforted because Dale was now dodging his eye contact.

"Well it would require certain talents and you are the only one who fits the criteria—"

"Will you get to the point?" Daryl snapped. He was starting to get anxious. He knew he had certain talents that made him valuable but if they had anything to do with the innocent girl upstairs then it wouldn't be good.

"Daryl...you have to go undercover." Dale stated.

"As what?" Daryl was confused, not having a clue as to why he would have to go undercover in this situation.

"Beth Greene's boyfriend." Daryl could tell that Dale was serious but that could not stop him from bursting into laughter.

"Boyfriend? Are kidding me?" The redneck could hardly contain himself."That's gotta be the funniest thing I've heard all day."

"Why? She's a pretty girl. Don't you think?" Dale asked.

Daryl certainly did but there was no way he was telling Dale that.

"Yeah…I guess. But have you seen her? Or me? We're completely different!" Daryl was a scruffy hillbilly who had a rap sheet longer than his arm and spent his Sundays in bed hungover, whereas Beth looked like she had never been out past her curfew and spent her Sundays in church.

"Well you know what they say, opposites attract." Dale countered. "And there's no chance anyone will recognize you since you've only been with us three years and all your operations have been covert."

Dale was right. Daryl had never met any members of the Greene family, but he had heard a lot. When Rick first spoke of Hershel he had described him as an enemy. A sick depraved man with no morals, only a need for power. It took Daryl a year and a bottle of whiskey to get the full story. Rick told Daryl how much he had trusted Hershel, how he had helped him succeed but that hadn't been enough, Hershel had betrayed him and murdered his wife. For a moment Rick let down his guard and Daryl had seen just how broken Rick Grimes, ruler of Atlanta, was. It made Daryl glad he had no real family.

"Send Glenn in! He's closer to her age." Daryl was getting desperate. Him...a boyfriend? He had never dated a girl, only had one night stands and that was what he preferred.

"Glenn is too new and she is twenty-two years old. A relationship with you would be perfectly acceptable."

"I'm ten years older than her, it's creepy." Daryl stated. It was one thing for him to find her attractive and another to pose as her boyfriend. Even he had standards.

"Daryl it has to be done. Besides it won't be for long, just until there is concrete proof that Hershel didn't kill Lori and Annette."

"Well, what if he did?" Daryl enquired.

"I highly doubt it." Dale snapped. Daryl had never seen him angry but right now he was looking pretty annoyed. "Listen to me Daryl. This feud has cost everyone far too much and you can help me end it." Dale finished. He had said all he could on the topic.

"Just what exactly does being her…boyfriend mean?" Daryl said the word boyfriend as if it were a swear word, which was strange because he was pretty free with those.

Dale smiled and said. "I have put together a fake identity for you/" He reached into a drawer to his right pulling out a small folder.

"Same name but everything else is different." Daryl took the folder from his hands and leafed through it.

"A mechanic?" Daryl raised his eyebrow.

"Yes, you work with T-dog at Jim's Auto Shop." That made sense since he was always hanging out there, helping out. He didn't know a lot about cars but he knew a lot about motorcycles.

"It's better than Glenn's job I guess." Glenn had only been with them for three months and he was not on payroll yet so he still delivered pizzas to pay the rent. Daryl had no sympathy for him, he had had to prove himself too, then again it had only taken him a few months to show his skills to the gang.

"How did we meet?" Daryl asked.

"Online."

"No." Daryl stated, shaking his head.

Why not? Lot's of people meet online." Dale seemed confused by Daryl's refusal.

"Do you know how that sounds? Hey Dad I'm met a man over a decade older than me online but it's okay he's not a serial killer, I promise."said Daryl imitating Beth.

"I see your point, but how do recommend you met? A bar fight?" Daryl chuckled at the image of Beth with her floral dress in the kind of bars he frequented.

"How about in a coffee shop after she got off the bus? It would be less suspicious and require less of an explanation." In his experience lies were better believed when they contained the truth

"I see what you mean." Dale agreed.

"So Daryl are you in? This all depends on you." Daryl paused for a moment and fearing what he was getting himself into.

"I guess so. But can we continue tomorrow? Blondie should probably be included in this." He couldn't bring himself to say her name at the moment feeling like it would leave a bad taste on his tongue.

"Very well it is getting late. Can you come back at noon tomorrow?"

Ugh…for Daryl that was early.

"I suppose." He grumbled and without saying goodbye Daryl left the room.

"What did I get my self into?" Daryl muttered to himself as he walked over to his motorcycle as he was trying not to think of the beautiful blonde he had not been able to take his eyes off of. In the span of a few hours he had gone from her abductor to her date.

**Authors Note: Sorry if it's a bit short, I am going to try and limit my updates to once or twice a week. That way they will be longer and I will get to have a tiny bit of a social life. As always review please! Your opinion does not go unheard as I read them all! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five- Beth

**Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or its characters.**

**Authors Note: Sorry about the wait. Every time I start to write I get an email saying one of the ****fan fictions I am reading has a new chapter! Enjoy! :D**

_"I want you, Beth." Daryl murmured as he kissed her neck making her moan, she had never felt so good. He had her pressed up against a wall with his hands on the small of her back holding her delicate frame to his strong hard body. Beth had her hands in his hair pulling him closer so that when their mouths did meet he kissed her hungrily, at this moment nothing mattered only him and her at this very moment all she wanted was for him to—_

It was the sound of the door opening that woke Beth up out of her dream.

Scrambling to sit upright Beth instantly remembered where she was. How could she be so stupid? She should have run the second Michonne shut the door behind her, or even better she should have run when she had woken up from unconsciousness. It was the drugs, Beth thought to herself, they must have frazzled her brain, but even as Beth thought this she knew it wasn't true. Maybe the drugs had lowered her inhibitions but in the end it had actually been Daryl that stopped her from leaving. The way he had been looking at her had not made her scared, in fact she felt safer than she had in years. But she could not think why asshe had every reason to fear him, Michonne and Dale but she didn't. Beth was pulled from her thoughts by the entrance of a small old woman.

"Buenos días, pequeño querido. Has dormido bien?"

"Pardon?" Beth said flustered. "I'm sorry I don't… speak Spanish."

"Sí, lo sé, pero yo no hablo Inglés, así que supongo que tendremos que salir del paso a lo largo." The old woman continued on despite Beth's protest.

_I suppose she doesn't understand me,_ thought Beth as she stretched and stood up straightening her dress. She hadn't even bothered to change before collapsing on the big four poster bed. Moving past the tiny Spanish woman, who had begun making the bed, Beth made her way to the door across the room that she desperately hoped led to the bathroom.

Opening the door Beth saw she was right and after shutting the door behind her she examined her reflection in the mirror.

She was a mess. Her hair had fallen out of its usual ponytail and was hanging in long blonde tangles around her neck, her floral dress was rumpled and after her confusing dream about Daryl, Beth felt dirty in more than one way.

Combing her fingers through her hair Beth noticed the shower behind her.

Locking the door Beth stripped out of her filthy clothes and stepped into the shower adjusting the nozzles to an almost scalding temperature, Beth liked her showers hot.

After Beth was washed she wrapped herself in a big cotton towel and, unlocking the door, walked back into her now empty bedroom.

She noticed some of her clothes laid out on the bed. The old woman must have done that, Beth thought reminding herself to thank her when she saw her again. How funny, she was reminding herself to thank her captors maid.

When Beth lifted up the white dress laid out before here, a letter fell to the ground.

_T_he words _"open me" _was scrawled across the back.

"How very Alice in Wonderland." remarked Beth to herself. Alice in Wonderland was Beth's favourite book, her mother had read it to her growing up. Smiling at the fond memories, Beth gently peeled open the fancy envelope. Unfolding the thick cream paper Beth scanned the small paragraph.

_Beth, I hope you slept well but I regret to inform you that we will have to reschedule our meeting for a few days time. I want you know you are not being held prisoner here, you are free to leave if that is what you wish. But I hope you decide to stay and talk when I come back. All the facilities in this building are available to you but I must ask, that if you do stay that you please remain off the third floor. Mrs. Morales will attend to your room and I am sure you will meet some of our group as they tend to drift in and out._

_I would ask that you do not speak of what I have told you to anyone other than Daryl._

_Hoping to speak to you soon_

_Sincerely, Dale._

Dale was gone?

After all Beth had learned in the last twenty-four hours, she had been desperate to talk more to Dale but now he was gone and she was faced with a choice.

Stay or go?

There was no choice really though. Now Beth knew what she knew, there was no way she was leaving. She had gotten answers that had only made her ask more questions, questions only Dale could answer. Also Beth was in no way ready to see her father, not now she knew what she knew. Hershel Greene had always had a way of seeing right through her and she knew the truth would be written all over her face. Thinking of her family made Beth ask even more questions. Did Maggie and Shawn know? And if so did they believe that it was Rick who killed their mother? Would they think she was betraying them by staying in his house?

So many questions were buzzing around Beth's head that she felt dizzy. Clutching the dressing table to balance herself Beth leaned towards the window that Mrs. Morales had left open. Beth breathed in the fresh air and as she peered out her eyes met they gazes of two women staring at her inquisitively from the garden patio below her. Startled Beth froze with her head still half out the window.

"Hello." said one of the women, a tall woman in her mid forties with short cropped hair.

"Er..hi." she replied meekly. They seemed friendly enough, but then again so had Daryl and he had drugged and kidnapped her.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?" asked the other woman, a petite black woman about the same age as her friend.

"I..suppose so." Stuttered Beth suddenly realizing how hungry she was.

"Well come on down then, oh and by the way I'm Carol." said the short haired woman smiling.

"And I'm Jacqui." chimed her friend.

"I'm Beth-"

"We know." said both of the women at the same time both smiling.

Confused but motivated by hunger Beth pulled her head back inside and shut the window. Gathering herself for meeting the two women who both seemed to know her, Beth exhaled deeply and opened the door to the hallway.

Shutting the door behind her, Beth walked down the hallway until she was walking down the familiar stairs. Absentmindedly Beth nearly fell over a small girl sitting on the bottom step.

"Hello?" said Beth leaning towards the little girl, who upon seeing her turned and gave her a large toothy grin.

"Hi! Who are you?" asked the little blonde girl who looked to be about four.

"I'm Beth. Who are you?" Beth was confused as to why this little girl was here. Perhaps she is Carol's daughter.

"I'm Judith. I learned how to spell my name today see!" she said as she held a piece of paper with the name Judith Grimes scrawled in messy handwriting.

_Grimes_, thought Beth, _this is Rick Grimes daughter_.

Then Beth felt a twinge of sadness when she remembered that little Judith's mother was dead too and this little girl was too young to even remember her.

Smiling brightly Beth looked at this sweet girl, who was smiling up at her.

"This is very good, Judith." Beth said handing it back into her tiny hands.

"You can keep it, I have more." said Judith and upon looking to the floor Beth saw it was covered with sheets of paper covered in crayon.

"Judith Grimes!" said Michonne as she walked up to them. "Someone is going to fall over!"

"I'm sorry Auntie but look! I made a friend!" Squealed Judith pointing a Beth.

Michonne met Beth's eyes with worry.

"I'm sorry if she bothered you." she said stiffly.

"It's fine. Judith has been very sweet." Beth replied smiling warmly.

"Oh..okay..well Carol and Jacqui are just through those doors in the garden." She said pointing to the double doors to Beth's left.

"Okay well bye Judith, it was nice meeting you." Beth said honestly. After meeting this sweet little girl she knew that Dale had been telling the truth. These people were considerate and kind and despite being brought here against her will Beth now felt totally secure.

"Bye bye." Judith said while waving and then she shot off out of the room leaving Michonne to pick up the papers scattered over the floor.

Leaving the room Beth could have swore she heard Michonne mutter something along the lines of "Not a freakin' maid."

When Beth stepped out into the garden she took in the beauty of her surroundings. The fresh summer breeze ran through her hair and ruffled her dress.

"Great out here isn't it?" Said Carol smiling at Beth.

"Yeah it's beautiful." said Beth smiling.

"Come and sit down, girl." demanded Jacqui grinning mischievously.

Something about these two women made Beth nervous, Carol and Jacqui did not seem dangerous. They just reminded her of her mother when she had invited friends over for drinks and they would all sit and gossip like a couple of old hens.

Feeling insecure Beth sat in one of the empty chairs and eyed the selection of fruit tarts on a platter in the middle of the table.

"So what brings you to the compound Beth?" inquired Carol, but from the look on her face it seemed like she already knew.

"Dale. He…uh…is explaining some things to me." She replied quietly.

"He treating you okay?" asked Jacqui. " Because if he ain't I'll get Jim to skin him."

"Um no Dale is being very nice..Daryl though-" Beth began but Jacqui interrupted her.

"I know what you mean girl, he can be very quiet. When I first met him he barely said a word!" she exclaimed laughing.

"Jacqui doesn't mean to make him sound so bad. He's just a quiet shy guy." Carol explained quietly.

"He wasn't so quiet when he flirted with me so he could drug me." Beth muttered thinking of how naive and foolish she had been, batting her eyes and smiling at him thinking he liked her. She now knew he had just manipulated her and that made Beth very annoyed, hoping she never had to see him again.

"Daryl flirted with you?!" Jacqui said spluttering on her drink, even Carol looked shocked.

"Yeah…isn't that how he always kidnaps women? Uses his Georgia charm?" Beth asked.

"Erm…no I have never ever seen Daryl Dixon flirt." Carol stated smiling as she pushed a small plate with a strawberry tart on it towards Beth along with a glass of iced tea.

"Okay...well can I ask how you two are involved in this…business?" Beth asked , her curiosity peaking.

"Well I handle the computer side of work, getting information, keeping track of people and mainly making calls to other cities that we have arrangements with." Jacqui answered and after pausing to gesture to Carol, she continued. "And Carol looks after Judith and Carl, Rick's kids."

"Oh yeah I met Judith a few minutes ago." Beth chimed placing the piece of paper, that had been clutched in her hands, on the table.

"She's just that sweetest isn't she? I remember when Sophia was her age, all rainbows and sunshine, now all she does is listen to heavy metal and text her friends." Carol sighed, shaking her head.

"All least she is not as bad as Carl." Jacqui stated her smile gone. "You know what I caught him doing the other day? Smoking."

"No." Carol gasped.

"Yeah I went outside to get some air and saw him with a packet in his hand, half empty." Jaqui hissed. "If Rick found out he'd kill him."

"That's probably why he's doing it." Carol said under her breath.

"Why? Rick is going through enough without Carl being foolish." Jacqui argued.

"He just wants his fathers attention and god knows he hasn't been getting it." Carol said and, after glancing at Beth, continued. "Now let's change the subject I'm sure Beth does not want to hear all this housewife jabber."

"No it's fine Carol, it make everything a little less weird." Beth said, swallowing a mouthful of the sweet strawberry goodness.

"Yes this must all be so strange for you, just being dropped into this world. Jacqui and I married into the life." Carol said with a sad smile.

"So both of your husbands work for Rick?" Beth asked, she was curious about this gang. Did they all ride motorcycles? What exactly did this "gang" do?

"Well Jim, Jacqui's husband, owns an auto-shop that some of the guys work at for covers and...I'm divorced." From the look on Carol's face Beth knew not to ask about her husband.

"But you stayed with the gang?" Beth wondered aloud.

"Honey once you're in the Atlanta group, you're in it for good. We are family." Jacqui putting her hand over Carol's and smiling compassionately.

"A biker family?" Beth said smiling at the image of her father on a motorcycle, he would look ridiculous. Her mind then switched to Daryl on a motorcycle, which made her heart race.

"The Atlanta group's not a biker group. It's more…civilized. There's only one person who rides a bike and that's-"

But Carol's sentence was cut short by the sound of a revving motorcycle in the distance, the sound becoming louder and finally stopping.

"-Daryl Dixon." Carol finished with a sigh.

Beth let out a nervous laugh and tried not to look panicked as she heard the big doors inside swing open and the sound of boots clunking along the floor, coming closer.

**Authors Note: I hope you like where this is going! Remember to review they make me happy and a happy writer means faster updates! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter six- Daryl**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the walking dead or it's ****characters. Too bad :(**

**Authors note: Sorry this too so long! :( But I would like to thank my beta Slytherin-Princess10 and my good friend/grammar nazi beta Miss Jackson Grayson-Barton.**

As he pulled up in front of the Compound, Daryl wondered what exactly Dale wanted him to do. Last night's events had been so hurried that he had not had time to ask the important questions. Why exactly was he going undercover? Daryl knew Beth was needed to gain Hershel's trust and possibly bridge the gap between Rick's Atlanta group and Hershel's Farm group (named so because of the farm Hershel grew up on). Although a small part of Daryl hoped Dale was right, the main reason he had agreed to help with this dangerous mission was…Beth Greene.

Daryl had barely slept at all the night before, his mind had been full of thoughts of her, and when he had finally fallen asleep, Daryl had dreamt of her. A specific kind of dream that made his blood rush to certain parts of his anatomy. Shaking his head at his inappropriate thoughts, Daryl walked up the steps and opened the large double doors that were always unlocked, knowing the security at the gate was usually enough.

"Uncle Daryl!" said the tiny girl running towards him as she launched herself at him.

"Hey my little ass kicker! How are you doing?" Daryl asked as he picked Judith up and spun her in a circle. Despite never having had good parent figures in his life, Daryl Dixon had always been good with children; maybe it was because he envied their carelessness.

"I'm great! Look I learned how to write my name! And I made a friend!" She babbled as she shoved a piece of paper in his face.

"This is very good, Judy. You'll have to teach me how to write my name." Daryl said smiling at her, while examining the crayon covered paper.

"You can't write your name?" Judith giggled. "But you're old!"

"Old?! Old?! How dare you! You must be punished!" He yelled playfully as he threw her up in the air and caught her.

"No! Stop! Someone help! Auntie Michonne! Carl! Help!" Judith squealed.

After her giggling had died down, Judith started holding up pictures she had drawn for Daryl to judge. He had always found her work to be eerily accurate. There was a picture of a tall boy with an angry face, which he figured must be Carl. Another drawing of a tall woman with long dreadlocked hair, that was definitely Michonne. But the final drawing made Daryl stop, it was a girl with long blonde hair, blue eyes and a dress covered with daisies. It was Beth.

"Who's she, Kiddo?" asked Daryl, wondering when Judith had met Beth.

"That's Beth. She's my friend and very pretty." the four-year-old stated as if this was all that mattered.

"That's cool. Is Beth still here?"

"Yep she is out in the backyard with Auntie Carol and Miss Jacqui." Daryl had always found it funny how Judith called every adult Auntie or Uncle, even Michonne, but Jacqui was always Miss Jaqui.

"Why don't you come with me to the kitchen, little miss? We can go get me a beer and I can talk to Auntie Michonne." Now he knew how close Beth's proximity to him was, Daryl wanted to keep away from her. No use in talking to her until Dale was ready, besides Daryl had never been a great conversationalist.

"Okay come on! Let's race!" and at that Judith Grimes raced out of the room with Daryl following just behind her, intent on letting her win.

"What the fu-" Daryl began angrily before Michonne cut him off by slapping him on the head.

"Language." She hissed her eyes darting towards Judith who was happily drawing across the counter. "If you're looking for Dale, you won't find him here."

"Fine...Wait, what do you mean, Dale's left town?" Daryl said in a somewhat panicked tone.

"He said he had business to deal with, and that he would be back in a few days."

"What could possibly be so important?" If it was dirty work that needed to be done, then Daryl would have gone with him, he was always the go to guy, especially in a fight. Whatever Dale was doing, it must be pretty low key.

"I don't know what it is exactly but Rick went with him." Michonne said quietly. She was probably wondering why she wasn't going with him.

"Bet your as pissed as me then. Being left out and all?" Daryl asked jokingly.

"You bet your ass I am. I'm not just a pretty face or a damn baby-sitter!" She snapped. Although Michonne wasn't Rick's old lady, she was his second in command and she knew him better than anyone, even Daryl. It was pretty odd for Rick to go somewhere without her.

"Well, what's going to happen to Blondie? If Dale's gone isn't she gonna run?" Daryl said trying to sound as if he didn't care.

"He wrote her a little letter asking her to stay, and from the way she was acting I don't think she's in a hurry to run out the door. She's out back with Carol and Jacqui... if you want to say hi." Michonne said smirking in a way that annoyed him.

"Nah, I'm good. Besides, girl's probably scared of me after our first meeting."

"Nah. Honestly she seems pretty tough." she said begrudgingly. Coming from Michonne, this was high praise.

"You heard Dale's plan?" Daryl asked.

'"Pretty sure I have an idea. Something to do with the feud?" She answered.

"Yeah." Daryl paused, took a deep breath and continued. "Dale wants the girl to work her way into Hershel's business, gain his trust. Then try and…fix this."

"How does that involve you? No offence but you and Dale haven't usually been this close."

"I know. He has this idea that Beth needs someone under cover with her. I think as a protection detail."

"And that someone's you? How is she gonna explain that?" She inquired.

"He's having me pose as her boyfriend." Daryl said quietly.

"Oh. My. God. Daryl Dixon, the boyfriend." Michonne chuckled. "Does little Miss Greene know about this?"

"Not yet. Now Dale's out of town I guess I have to be the one to tell her." Daryl remarked, secretly wondering how he was going to explain all this.

"I do not envy you, brother." she said smiling widely.

That was one of the things Daryl loved about Michonne, She could be tough and crass when she needed to, and warm and funny when she wanted to. She never pushed him for information about his life as she herself did not often share. The only thing Daryl truly knew about Michonne was that she owed Rick her life and that was a debt she would gladly repay. Daryl sometimes thought that the bond between Rick and his lieutenant once could have been romantic, but Lori's ghost hanging over Rick was enough to see that it never was.

"I'll talk to her later. For now why don't you and I sit here and discuss some business?" Daryl decided.

"Fine. So with Rick and Dale out of the city, that leaves you and me in charge."

"Yeah guess it does, don't it?" He said smirking.

"Don't let it go to your head, Dixon."

"Well we don't have any important business for now. Dale had the meeting with the Texans tonight, rescheduled to next week." Michonne concluded, taking a sip of her beer, her eyes following Judith as she ran into the back yard.

"Good, I'm not in the mood to argue with a bunch of angry cowboys." He replied.

"They only get angry when you are around. Did I tell you that Thomas' nose healed wrong?" she said smiling.

"Who's Thomas?" Daryl asked.

"The Texan whose nose you broke last time we met with them." Michonne said chuckling. Daryl had always had a knack for getting into fights, not that he couldn't handle them. But it made having him at meetings rather…risky. He had never been a people person and some of the men Daryl had to deal with were loud and crude. They reminded him of his brother, Merle, who he had not seen in years.

Daryl was pulled from his dark thoughts by the sound of laughter. Among it was Judith's giggle, Carol's chuckle and Jacqui's guffaw but there was another laugh, a small beautiful laugh that made Daryl's hard heart skip a beat.

Michonne must have seen the look on his face, judging by the next words out of her mouth."So are you going to talk to her about all this or just hide here with me and drink?" She asked.

"I will talk to her later. But for now I think I will have another beer." Daryl muttered, walking to the fridge.

"Let her laugh for a while." He said quietly.

Several hours later, when Carol had gone home, Jacqui back to work and Judith in bed, Daryl walked up to the room he knew Beth was staying in and knocked at the door.

"Come in." Her voice called from behind the door.

Daryl pushed open the door and entered.

Instantly he saw that she had her back to him and was pulling on a red summer dress. For a moment his eyes raked over her bare back, glimpsing her green lace underwear then trailing up her spine to her bare shoulders where he spotted a small tattoo on the back of her right shoulder blade, a bird perhaps?

Suddenly remembering himself he turned his back on her and coughed sharply to let her know he was there.

She turned suddenly and gasped.

"Oh god! I thought you were Mrs. Morales or Michonne!" she said, hurriedly zipping up the back of her dress.

"Sorry to disappoint." He grunted.

"What are you doing here?" Beth asked.

"We need to talk. I see you got Dale's letter." Daryl waved to the piece of paper left idly on the dresser.

"Yes but what do we need to talk about?" She said quickly, her hand on her hip.

Daryl smirked at her fierceness, she seemed to have suddenly remembered that he was not to be trusted.

_Smart girl_, he thought. Trusting him would only get her hurt, he had away of only bringing pain to those around him.

"Come on then. Tell me what it is you want." She stated impatiently.

"I need to explain what Dale's plan is." Daryl exhaled heavily, fully aware of the impact of what he was about to say.

"Dale has probably asked you to help with his idiotic plan right? Well even he's not stupid enough to send you into the lion's den without protection so he is sending me in with you." He said quickly, just trying to get the words out of his mouth quickly.

"The lion's den! That's my family you are talking about, do you think they would hurt me?" she snapped, fury flooding her dainty features.

"Honestly, I think Hershel Greene is capable of just about anything, Blondie." Daryl growled. This girl really was clueless. If her father could kill his own old lady, then he was capable of dealing with her in a possibly violent way.

"My father did not kill my mother, and why should I trust you to protect me? My father has never laid a hand on me. Whereas you have drugged and kidnapped me in the last twenty four hours!" She yelled.

"Hey keep it down, farm girl. Kiddo is sleeping down the hall." He whispered sharply, not wanting Judith to wake up scared or worse tell her Auntie Michonne that he was being mean to her new friend.

After he said this, Beth got a curious look on her face but only momentarily then her features softened.

"Okay…Daryl. I'm sorry it's just been a hard time for me. I've learned a lot about my father, my family. I just don't know what to believe. I need someone to explain it all to me and I need to be able to trust that they are telling the truth." Beth's face suddenly looked weary and worried, like she had aged years in seconds.

This was a look he had seen before. On his mother. That helpless look, a mix between helplessness and hurt, and seeing it on this sweet young girl made something inside him feel a deep sense of terror. In this moment all he want ed to do was take her away until that look was replaced with a smile.

"Get your coat, Barbie. We're going on a trip." He said heading to the door.

"W-where?" she stuttered, taken back.

"Just trust me, I'm gonna try to explain everything for you." he said holding out his hand.

He knew it was idiotic to think she would trust him, but he had to try.

"Okay. I don't know why, but okay." She snatched up her denim jacket with one hand and gently taking Daryl's in the other, letting him pull her through the door.

**Reviews? **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter seven**

**I own neither the walking dead or it's characters. (if only)****  
**

**Authors note: Sorry about the slow update! Exam season. what can i do? updates will be slow over the next two months but after that they will speed up and so will the plot!**

I can't believe I am doing this, thought Beth as she tightened her embrace on Daryl.

She must be going insane, because there could be no other possible reason for her crazy, reckless actions. Not only was she going off to god knows where with a man who had proven to be less than trustworthy, but she was on a motorcycle.

A machine her father despised vehemently.

She could still remember the look on his face when Shawn had come home with an old chopper he had planned to fix up. Hershel Greene was a man who rarely lost his temper, but that day he had hit the roof. The father and his step-son usually got on like a house on fire, Shawn being the son he always wanted (Beth had even been jealous at times), but when it came to motorcycles Shawn and his sisters had learnt there was no room for negotiation. The bike has been sent to the scrap yard and Shawn had to endure a long rant about how dangerous and idiotic it was to ride a motorcycle and that if Shawn ever pulled a stunt like that again he would be grounded until he was forty-five. This violent hate of motorcycles had made both Maggie and Shawn extremely curious and they had tasked Beth with inquiring with their mother as to the reason behind their fathers hate. Beth had never been very sneaky so instead of trying to trick her mother into giving an answer Beth simply asked her mother when she had a chance. She could still recall her mother's sad, serene smile when she had replied that even she did not know details but that she believed a friend of her father's had died in a motorcycle crash; she also advised that after Beth had told Maggie and Shawn, as she knew she would, that they should let the subject drop and Beth had taken her advice.

Remembering this fact Beth felt a wave of shame that she was taking such risks. It was as if she was betraying her father's trust, especially considering that Daryl worked for a man supposedly at war with her father. Feeling slightly sick Beth hoped silently that they would arrive at their destination soon. They had left the building she had been kept in via a large gate. Daryl had keyed in a code and spoken to a Hispanic man on the other side before being buzzed out. The man had not commented on her or asked Daryl where he was going and this reassured Beth. If she was allowed to leave without a mention then perhaps there was truth in Dale's words.

After spending half of the day talking to Carol and Jacqui, Beth felt almost certain that the feud between her father and Rick Grimes was a terrible misunderstanding.

How could these good people be behind her mother's death?

Beth had enquired about Rick Grimes, asking what he was like; she wanted to get a feel of how to act around him, if she did ever meet him. Carol had gotten a sad look as she told her how his wife's death had devastated him and ever since he had been withdrawn from the group, confiding in only Dale, Michonne and Daryl, although he obviously trusted Carol enough to watch over Judith and Carl. Carol had tried to explain how Carl's relationship with his father had become very strained and the teenager was acting out. Beth could sympathise, losing her own mother had been hard and she had been much older as, from what she gathered Carl had been twelve at the time of the accident and was now sixteen years old. A difficult time even with parents.

A gust of cool air ran through Beth's hair as they speeded down the highway, bringing her back to earth. Fighting a chill Beth rested her cheek against Daryl's leather clad shoulder and felt him tense slightly. This action, however small, made Beth smile. The fact that she, a tiny twenty-two year old girl, could make this, somewhat terrifying, man feel uncomfortable was in Beth's mind ironically funny. As if sensing her amusement, Daryl's grip on the bike's handles tightened as he sped up to a deadly speed. Against her own will Beth let out a small gasp, and although she was too scared to move her head to look, she just knew Daryl was smiling.

In revenge for this action Beth tightened her hold on him as hard as she could, but even that was weak at best.

After what seemed like an hour, but was probably half of that, Daryl pulled his bike into a parking lot outside a bar.

Immediately jumping off, Beth stumbled and would have lost her balance if Daryl had caught her by the armed and steadied her. She muttered a quiet thank you, feeling awkward after being in such close contact with him, and then crossed her arms resuming her defensive manner.

"So did you bring me here to get me drunk?" She asked jokingly, raising an eyebrow. Even from outside the bar was noisy.

"Nah. If I wanted that I could have stolen some of Dale's whisky." He replied sarcastically, and then continued.

"This place is the best way for me to get my point across."

"And what point is that?" She enquired with a hand on her hip.

"It's best I show you. Come on Blondie, follow me." And with that he strode across the parking lot towards the bar's entrance. Beth followed closely and entered through the door he held open. Who said there was no Georgia charm?

The first thing Beth noticed was the noise. Along with the normal chatter you would usually get in a bar, there was loud rock music blaring from the speakers on the small stage on the far right of the room. The second thing was the people. At least a hundred people with nothing in common accept the fact they were all in leather and had tattoos. Men and women, big and small, fat and skinny. Beth had never seen so many strange bar patrons, and she had worked as a waitress every summer since she was eighteen.

"Oh my god! This is…a biker bar." She gasped loudly although her voice was somewhat muffled by the sounds of a Black Sabbath song.

"Really?" Daryl said sarcastically, as he led her up to the bar. They took two seats at the end of the bar several seats away from anyone.

"What can I get for you two?" Asked the busty bartender, batting her eyes at Daryl.

"A beer and a glass of water please?" Beth asked quickly, before Daryl had a chance to speak.

"Water?" Daryl asked when the girl had walked off.

"Yeah the beer's for me. The water's for you. You're my ride remember?" She said daringly.

"Honey you think I'm stone cold sober now?" He asked genuinely, which cause her to frown.

"That's doesn't matter. You have a lot to explain and you can't do that drunk."

"Fine, fine. Where do you want me to start?" He asked.

"How did you join the group?" The question tumbled from Beth's mouth before Daryl had even finished his question.

"I'm not gonna answer that. I said I would tell you about the group not myself." His tone had changed slightly, not very much but there was a glint of harshness in his tone that stressed a change in topic.

"Okay." Beth mumbled, she felt embarrassed by her curiosity. Of course he was wanted privacy, he probably had done all sorts of things, bad things. And he didn't want to scare her or put her off the gang.

"How 'bout I tell you what we do?" Daryl suggested looking up at her through his hair. How could this man go from angry dog to cute puppy in the blink of an eye?

"Yeah that's good." She muttered averting her eyes from his stormy blue ones.

"Well we control all revenue streams in the city. For a monthly fee, store owners get protection. Not from us but from other gangs and your usual scumbags."

"Protection? What does that mean?" Beth asked suspicion evident in her tone, this sounded awfully like extortion.

"It's not like it seems. We don't threaten them or nothin' but other gangs would…or worse. In fact Rick helps a lot of them out, starts up new businesses, gives them money and arranges labour. Me and the guys mostly." He says with a grin, the smile makes him look younger almost Beth's age.

"These other gangs, how do you keep them away?" Beth pushed, she could tell Daryl was omitting something.

"Mostly we don't have to. Rick and Dale make agreements with other gangs so that they stay out of Atlanta. But when we have to…we are not afraid to get our hands dirty." He admits grimly, although he seems like the kind of guy that gets into bar brawls pretty often, Daryl obviously did not take pleasure in extreme violence.

"Oh…so just kidnapping then?" Beth jokes trying to lighten the mood.

"Rick wouldn't have ever tried to hurt you. That's the not the kind of man I work for." Daryl's voice said clearly. He really seemed to believe what he was saying, Beth thought, this Rick guy must inspire a lot of trust and respect, Daryl does not seem like the kind of guy to trust easily.

"What is it with your boss? Everyone I talk to only has good things to say." Beth was slightly frustrated that she had not met him yet.

"He is a born leader. He is just the kind of man people follow. Christ. It could be the freakin' apocalypse and people would still follow him!" He started to chuckle, his laugh was so infectious that Beth soon found herself laughing too.

"He…he sounds kind of like my dad. My mom always said he had a knack for inspiring trust. He's been through so much…he was married before my mom- to Maggie's mother, she died and, well…before Maggie was born he had drinking problems. And his first wife's death made him relapse and when my mom found him, he was in a really bad way. But he got sober, with my mom's help, and they got married and had me and everything worked out fine until…" Beth could not continue. Her throat was suddenly very tight. Blinking back tears, she took a gulp of beer and tried to compose herself. She would not embarrass herself in front of Daryl. But she shouldn't have worried because when Daryl noticed her wiping her eyes, he gently put his hand on hers. It was a simple gesture but for someone like Daryl it was a big thing.

"I'm sorry…, no matter who was responsible for the accident, at the end of the day you lost your mom. That's the kind of thing you don't get over." It sounded like Daryl spoke from experience, but Beth knew better than to pry.

"So what have been meaning to talk to you about is…I know Dale has asked for your help…with the situation with your father."

"Yes?" What was he getting at? Beth wondered. Perhaps he was going to give her pointers on being secretive; he had fooled her after all. Thinking of their encounter made Beth flush pink.

"Let me be honest with you, Dale thinks you will need back-up and that it would be good if you could get someone into your father's inner circle. So he has suggested that I pretend to be involved with…you." Daryl muttered the last sentence so quietly that Beth almost did not hear him, but she did.

"What does involved mean? Like dating?" Beth asked, how would that work? She had only ever had one boyfriend, Jimmy, at college.

"Yes because I am the one with the most experience that Hershel has not met. So he won't recognise me, Dale just wants to be safe –" Daryl's explanation was interrupted by him being tapped on the shoulder. He turned to face a tall well-built man wearing a cowboy hat and sporting a rather bent nose, like it had been broken badly.

"What? I'm a bit busy… Hey wait. Do I know you?" Daryl asked the cowboy after he turned to face him.

"Yeah I'm Thomas, remember me?" The man growled in a Texan accent. His aggressive attitude made Beth nervous.

"Thomas? Oh shit…yeah about that-" Daryl began but his sentence was cut short by the Texan's fist colliding with his face.

**A.N. Poor Daryl, still I am sure Beth will protect him. Please review if you can it would mean the world. I read them all and your input is always so helpful. Until next time! **


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